A Different Perspective

One thing I love about reading the Bible is how stories can seem "new" or "fresh" even though you've read them several times.  There's a story that refreshed me from a different perspective in the last month.  It's a story that I've read many times.  It's in Genesis which means that I've read it the last few Januarys as part of my "read thru the Bible in a year plan".  Unfortunately, I still have yet to get to Revelation.

It's in Genesis 16 and it's the story of Sarai and Hagar.  In years past, I would always relate to Sarai.  She is infertile and she's looking to "help God" fulfill His promise to make her a mother.  Hagar, her maid, gets pregnant and this irritates Sarai.  And so Sarai doesn't treat her kindly which is so ironic because Hagar is pregnant because of Sarai's idea to "help God".  

How many times do I try to "help God" and it just turns into a big, fat mess?

Sarah treats Hagar unkindly (my translation says harshly) and Hagar runs away.  The angel of the Lord appears to Hagar and tells her to go back to Sarai.  He gives her some other promises about her son and the generations to come.  Verses 13-14 are the verses that encouraged my heart.  Hagar named the place Beer-lahai-roi (the well of the living one who sees me).  She says "You are a God who sees".  Sometimes, we can't see Him.  We can't see Him working.  It seems that He is far away.  But He isn't.  He is a God who sees our heartache.  He is a God who sees our pain.  He is a God who sees that we were treated harshly or unfairly.  He is a God who is working on our behalf all the time.  God does not slumber or sleep (Psalm 121). 

He is El Roi....the God who sees.  And even if you can't see Him through your tears and heartache, He is there and He sees you and He is actively working on your behalf.